R M Lala

A well-known writer and journalist R.M. Lala reflects on the power of prayer and on what God means to him

I asked Rev. Fr. M.M. Balaguer, a distinguished Jesuit and former Principal of my College: "How is it that you people can pray for hours when I can pray for barely two or three minutes?"

"It depends," he replied, "on what you mean by prayers. There are three types of prayer. First, when you speak to God. Second, when you speak to Him and wait for Him to speak to you. The third is when neither of you speak. You communicate silently. For example, if two lovers are sitting on a beach looking at the sea, they need not tell one another that they are in love. Their thoughts speak. That is called communion. That kind of relationship is the highest form of prayer."

There are various ways to pray. There is the prayer of words, prayer of scriptures and prayer of silence. A lovely line is: "Be still and know I am God."

Mother Teresa said that she had set her times of morning and evening prayer but during the day she was so busy she could only shoot up short prayers like: "I trust you, I love you, I believe in you, I need you."

A General who was going to battle said the prayer: "Lord, if I am so busy today that I cannot remember you, please do not forget me." Many of us feel too rushed to pray. For them this prayer may be useful to keep at hand:

Lord of quietness, when we live frantically,
Like figures on a video game,
Prompt us to make a space for you...
When all else rushes and glitters and babbles around us,
Let the overflow of your loveliness maintain a still centre in our being.
From that quiet place,
Enlighten our decisions,
Direct our energies
And cool our overheated anxieties.

Most of us need some aid to prayer. It could be a diya, a candle, a crucifix, the image of a God or Goddess. Soft music. A Bhajan, a hymn or a psalm. Others prefer communal prayer in mosques or churches or just a quiet visit to a place of worship. I find inspirational reading in the quiet of the morning takes me closer to my Creator. Writing thoughts down thereafter is a useful discipline. Uplifting too is a "thank you" to God for something He has done for us. A sunset, a flower or a bird singing can also turn us to God.

Our concept of God varies. To some he may be a stern old man with a stick. To others a loving forgiving father. The relationship I have found more satisfying with God is as a father and a friend. My worldly father was also my good friend. Sant Namdeo's servant Janabai had a wonderful simple equation with God. When burdened with chores of the household she would ask him to join her and when she was tired she would turn to Him and say: "Now you must be tired too!"

Mira says: Mane Chakar Rakho ji. Allow me to be a servant in your house.

Cultivation of this deep sense of being with God, the sense of God being in you and with you every moment, is the essence of Bhakti. There is nothing complicated about it. All he asks for is a quality of life, that is righteous and of love for all.

The quality of our life will reflect on the quality of our prayer relationship with God. Nearly three thousand years ago Zarthustra, prophet of Parsis gave a simple guideline of "Good thoughts, good words, good deeds." It is significant that he put "Good thoughts" first.

In modern hymn a man puts his relationship with his Creator illustratively. He says: "He walks with me, He talks with me, He tells me I am his own. And the time we share, As we tarry there, None other has ever known."

I once undertook to make a list in two columns: Things which bring me closer to God and things which take me further away from God. I wrote down my points under each. Quite revealing and a good guide for inner growth.

Prayer is resting in God. Living in His presence. We may stray occasionally but we know we can come back. People ask: "What is the best time to pray?" It is what suits you the best. How long? It is the same answer. Whatever helps any one, they should do it.

Conversing with God is a refreshing exercise and He tells us truths about ourselves nobody will - not even our perceptive wives. I do not always achieve it but when I do it, the practice of the presence of God for as much of my day as possible is the finest prayer I know. My work, my writing, my conversing with people, all that can be a larger part of prayer as well as a part of me.

What I have found feeding to my spirit is taking other people in prayer to God. The process of intercession for others widens the horizon of one's prayer. It certainly lifts one out of self-centeredness.

Prayer can also be said for countries or causes - like abolition of slavery from the British Empire, which William Wilberforce fought in Parliament for eighteen years and won. He said: "I know that when with intense faith you mentally hold a person or cause or crisis in the Infinite Presence a current of the power of God, starting from your soul acts like a dynamic force for the object for which you pray."